Many adherent cells undergo apoptosis when converted to suspension culture or when detached from the underlying extracellular matrix. (Strater et al., 1996) This process has been termed anoikis and may be an important mechanism of tissue homeostasis. (Frisch and Francis, 1994) Cancer cells, on the other hand, have long been known for their ability to grow in the absence of adhesion, a characteristic known as anchorage-independent proliferation. (Martin, 1996) This is of clinical relevance to metastasis, because cancer cells must transiently survive in the absence of adhesion as they travel to and migrate into distant tissues via the circulatory or lymphatic systems. Efforts to curb metastasis are critical since the presence of metastases is the single most important prognostic indicator for survival in cancer patients. Preventing metastasis of primary tumors is hampered by the apparent ease by which cancer cells gain access to the circulatory system either naturally or at the time of surgical resection. (Hansen et al., 1999; Hansen et al., 1995; Mehes et al., 2001) latrogenic seeding of cancer cells is particularly worrisome as the primary modality of therapy for most resectable solid tumors is surgery.
Disclosed are compositions and methods related to inhibiting the affect of NF-κB on cancer, through inhibition of metastasis, readhesion, and cancer cell proliferation.